Living in Wisconsin, I’ve noticed that many people tend to take road trips down to Florida instead of flying. This is not a drive that can be done in one day, but the cost savings over plane tickets for the entire family can sometimes make the drive worth it.
Well, sitting in a car for a long period of time can become dreary. To help pass the time, most of us will listen to our tunes or watch a movie. However, blasting music or video in a car filled with other people is going to cause an issue.
This could be solved by using a set of earbuds, but earbuds can cause discomfort after a while. Instead, headphones offer an immersive experience, while remaining comfortable throughout the entire car ride. Naturally, Bluetooth headphones would remove the wires from annoying you while driving on the bumpy roads.
Amazon is the largest online retailer the world has ever seen with millions of products listed. Therefore, for a product to receive a #1 Best Seller title is quite an achievement. Match that with a 4.5-star review rating and the product is bound to catch your attention.
That is exactly the case today with Mpow’s latest headphone release. When I first learned about the brand, Mpow, I was pleased to see there was a brand who made some quality products and kept the prices low.
This time around they’ve returned with their Bluetooth headphones, the ones that have been awarded the #1 Best Seller achievement on Amazon. Having a comfortable frame, a budget friendly price and a closed-back sound, let’s find out if these headphones actually deserve their best seller title.
Welcome to my review of the Mpow Bluetooth Headphones.
Design
In most scenarios, headphones are usually a color combination of black, gray, and white; pops of color are typically not included, but that didn’t stop Mpow from offering multiple color variants for their headphones.
There are four color combinations to choose from including red/black, gray/black, black/black, and neon green/black. Something I am disheartened by is that Mpow charges a higher price for any color that isn’t the red/black mix.
Each model is the exact same in every single way, only the color changes, but that didn’t stop them from tacking on an additional $3 for the other models.
My model is the red and black variant and in real life, the red accents attract your eyes and are best described as a candy red. The red accents go along nicely with the headphone’s glossy black frame.
Over the past couple of weeks of using these headphones at work, I and coworkers have noticed how the Mpow headphones are slightly similar to the original designed Beats by Dre. That doesn’t make the headphones bad, but the design is nothing new.
Unlike the Beats, the Mpow headphones have a glossy black body and they love collecting fingerprints and grease marks. They are easily wiped away and cleaned, but it detracts from the otherwise stylish design.
Located on the right earcup, there is a five-button user interface for controlling the headphones. Using a Bluetooth connection, four of the buttons function as volume control, forward and back keys, as well as a multifunction control button.
The multifunction control button is the large center button that takes care of power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and answering a phone call. In this same cluster of buttons is an opaque LED that glows blue or orange for connected and battery status.
On the same ear cup are the micro USB charging input and a microphone. The left ear cup is where the 3.5mm headphone jack is located and the included cable can be removed from the headphones.
Each of the earcups is wrapped in a protein leather that is impressively comfortable. There are a lot of headphones that use microfiber earpads, but nothing out there beats a leather wrap. While not memory foam, the leather cushion is soft on your skin, hair, and ears.
The headband is also a leather-like material and is normal foam. This is okay as, again, the cushion here is comfortable, soft, and relieves the stress of wearing headphones. I’ve gone hours without having to take off the headphones.
To support the headphones, there is an internal metal frame that prevents bends, twists, and breaks. The metal frame is quite strong and bounces back if stretched outwards.
If you are the type of listener who prefers using headphones with one ear covered and another not, then these may not be your exact fit. The frame is not comfortable for a one-ear on, one-ear off listening style.
Lastly, the headphones are collapsible with the two ear cups being able to fold into the headband. This makes them great for travelling as they take up less space. I would have preferred if the actuation in keeping the headphones folded was a bit stronger. A slight shake of the folded headphones will cause them to unfold.
Functionality
Powering the Bluetooth 4.0 chip is a 420 mAh battery that achieves nine hours of medium-volume playback. After these nine hours are up, it takes a further couple of hours to fully recharge the internal battery. Of course, you could also swap to using a cable for when the battery goes dead.
In testing, the Bluetooth range on these headphones is acceptable and I had no problems whatsoever connecting to my smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled laptop. After they were connected, I loaded up my high-quality Pandora stream and put the 40mm neodymium drivers to hard work.
These headphones are closed-back headphones, meaning the sounds you hear will be contained within the earcups and not blasted out to the rest of the world. Moreover, it will be harder for you to hear the sounds in your close proximity; so be aware of your surroundings for safety protocols at work.
Music playback on the Mpow Bluetooth headphones was decent, but not mind blowing. The mids and lows were a little flat when listening to pop-based music, but rock and roll music didn’t seem to be affected by the flat sounds. The high pitch tones of the rock and roll music were hard for these headphones to reach. There was also only a subtle bass and I wish it was more predominant.
A couple of coworkers found their type of metal music to be muffled, but I didn’t feel the same vibe as they did.
A general summary of the music would be best described as ‘good’, with the notes being played reproduced in a flat tone and less liveliness than the band intended it to be. I wouldn’t use these as my main pair of headphones every day at home, but work, travel, car rides, and anywhere outside of the home is ideal.
Having a closed-back design is great for an office space where there are people close to one another. The Mpow headphones do an excellent job at blocking out sounds around you while keeping the music inside the earcups. It is an immersive experience.
Since the headphones can be used to answer calls, I tested out the internal microphone. As expected, the microphone isn’t any good here. I don’t understand why headphones have microphones to begin with, since they are advertised as a Bluetooth earpiece.
Voices on the Mpow headphones are muffled and little to no active noise cancellation. If you are quickly answering the call, it will be fine, but avoid using the microphone for long phone calls.
My Final Thoughts
At $33.99, the Mpow Bluetooth headphones are an inexpensive pair of headphones that get the job done without breaking the bank. Their travel-friendly design, Bluetooth capability, and closed-back make them perfect for those in an office setting, going for a car ride, or constantly on the go.
The sound isn’t going to blow you away as it will on other headphones, but it will certainly give you an enjoyable listening experience that does well in multiple music genres.
For such a low price and having a Best Seller award on Amazon, Mpow earn their 4.5-star rating and receive the stamp of approval from myself.
Buy it now:
© 2017 Justin Vendette
1 Comment
You pretty much summed it all up. Kudos.